The Surprise
by TwistedAngel08
Summary: Tony had no idea what he was doing. Not really. But then… he had no idea what he was doing when he built his first Ironman suit, either. And even though the billionaire himself occasionally thought about how crazy the whole thing was, every time that thought reared its head, he asked isn't everything I do crazy? Warnings: Well, not much. M/M relationship. Don't like, don't read.


**A/N So yeah... This story has literally no point, lol. It's just a little idea that popped in to my head. I may or may not continue depending on how many positive reviews I get, but this is probably going to stay a cute little one shot. Sigh, now I suppose I should get on with the disclaimer. I do not own the Avengers, or any other Marvel stuff. I simply came up with the idea and decided to borrow them for a little bit. I promise to give them back in the same condition I got them in, sexy as hell. Anyways, please review, let me know if you see any mistakes, and let me know what you think!  
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Tony had no idea what he was doing. Not really. But then… he had no idea what he was doing when he built his first Ironman suit, either. And even though the billionaire himself occasionally thought about how crazy the whole thing was, every time that thought reared its head, he asked _isn't everything I do crazy_? Besides, he knew he needed this. He didn't know why, but it was important. Well, maybe he did know why… after all, this was the one thing he had thought he couldn't give Steve.…

Steve shook his head disapprovingly as he walked to the lab. Tony was always straining himself, working past even his own limits when he focused on a project. He was always so secretive, too, and during the few occasions he did happen to come out of the lab, he acted as if he wasn't covered in grease and grime, diverting questions with a simple quip about Steve's curiosity. This frustrated Steve to no end, but he understood that Tony's need for privacy. The smaller man just wasn't as open as his star spangled partner. Still, Steve did wish that Tony would give him better hints than 'you're gonna love it' and 'it's something I'm sure you'll want.'

Trying for the third time that day, Steve asked Jarvis to open the lab doors. "I'm sorry sir," the calm AI system replied. "Mr. Stark has given me explicit orders to not let anyone in under any circumstances short of emergency." Of course he had. Steve sighed, clutching at the Styrofoam box that held the meal he bought for Tony. It hadn't exactly been a long trip down to the shawarma restaurant, but Steve would still be upset if he wasn't able to get Tony to eat it. He shook his head at the floor's general direction, having no particular person to look at while he talked.

"Come on, Jarvis can't you work with me here? You know as well as I do, or even better, that when he locks himself in there, he works himself too hard."

"That is true sir. However, Mr. Stark is quite adamant about keeping this is a surprise for you, Mr. Rogers, "Jarvis replied. Steve groaned, turning to walk away. "Of course, if you were to enter the override code in to the panel next to the door, I could do nothing to stop you from entering the lab," the bodiless butler said. Steve grinned, certain that if Jarvis were to have a body, he would have a slight smirk.

"Why thank you Jarvis. Any idea of what the override code might be?" he said walking over to the control panel.

"Of course, but I am sworn to secrecy. I would never tell you that the code is 3s-s1s3-s." Steve keyed in the code, smiling when the doors opened.

" Jarvis, if you had a hand, I'd shake it," the super soldier said in relief.

"Thank you, sir." Steve walked in to the lab, once again amazed not so much by the loud AC/DC, which was always blasting, but more by the chaos. _Drill bits and lug nuts and grease, oh my!_ he thought wryly. The lab wasn't _always_ like this, though. When Tony wasn't working on a project- which was almost never as the man's brain was always cranking out genius ideas- the lab was clean, and as sleek as the cars it displayed along with the Ironman suits. Elegant grays, blacks, and blues filled the room, accentuating the steel table tops quite well. Really, it could be a pleasant place to be in, nice enough even for business meetings, though Tony would never hold something so humdrum as a business meeting in his beloved lab.

Then there was when the lab wasn't clean, which was almost always. When the lab wasn't clean, it seemed as if every tool Tony had ever owned had been strewn about the room in a careless fashion by an angry toddler. Screw drivers littered the floor. Puddles of polymorph hardened like stalactites on the ends of tables from being left to drip. Sheets of metal sat with strange shapes cut out of them, waiting to be picked up and put away. Bits and pieces of wire stuck out from the oddest places, and of course, everywhere you looked you could see holograph diagrams of what appeared to be the insides of whatever Tony was building. Which led to the questions: where _was _Tony, and what in the world was he building?

Said genius's head snapped up in the direction of the doors when he heard them open. "Jarvs, did you let Steve in after I specifically told you not to?" he asked, his playful tone masking his irritation.

"Of course not sir. Mr. Rogers entered the override code for the doors," the AI replied in a tone much too smug for Tony's liking.

"Yeah, and I wonder who told him what the code was," he muttered under his breath as he wiped his hands. He grumbled as he straightened, thinking of different ways to turn Steve's name into a code without being too obvious. If the super soldier figured out the pattern, he'd be able to just stroll in to the lab any time he wanted. Of course, it would be nice to take a break and go see Steve- spending hours hunched over his project hadn't exactly done wonders for the billionaire's back- but he still needed to keep the project a secret.

With a humph, he threw a sheet over the project and walked swiftly to the doors, running into something tall and warm. With an _oof_, he looked up, his slightly less than pleased boyfriend giving him a look. "Hey, buddy," he said pleasantly. Steve raised an eyebrow, completing a look of disapproval that even Pepper Potts would be proud of. Tony chose to ignore it and instead scanned his boyfriend instead. The man was gorgeous, as always, but something else caught Tony's attention. "Is that for me?" he asked, pointing at the white box in Steve's hands. The blond rolled his eyes. Of course Tony would act like he wasn't in trouble in favor of food. With a sigh, he handed the box to his beau, shaking his head.

Tony snatched the box and eagerly opened his prize, practically able to hear the chorus of angels when he saw the shawarma. He hastily grabbed the plastic fork, ripping it out of its plastic bag and digging it in to the meat. When the first bite entered his mouth, he moaned and closed his eyes in bliss. "Cap, you spoil me," he said through a mouthful of heaven. Steve couldn't help but smile at his lover's reaction.

"Are you grateful enough to show me what you've been working on?" he asked in his quiet voice.

"Nope. Nice try though, the puppy dog eyes give it a nice affect," Tony answered, taking another bite. Steve frowned.

"Please Tony? You've been in here all day every day for months, and it's worrying me. Don't I deserve to at least see what's keeping you away from me?" Tony cocked his head, considering the request. It did always worry the other hero when he locked himself in the lab, and Steve _had_ brought him shawarma…. That settled it. The surprise was almost done anyway; all that was left was to fire her up. Reluctantly setting his shawarma down on the table, he motioned for Steve to follow.

"Hey, Dummy," Tony barked, snapping his fingers. "Guard that shawarma with your life, or I'll dismantle you and use the parts to make a toaster." The robot obediently rolled over to the table, its only limb swiveling as if it were watching out for shawarma-thieves.

While Tony bounced eagerly as he led the captain to his surprise, Steve took the time to take in his beau's appearance.

He wasn't expecting any different, but it still amazed Steve just how dirty the genius could get when he worked. Grease covered his hands and a good part of his arms too, all the way up to his elbows. The long-sleeved shirt he had rolled up was splotched with black everywhere, especially the front. It looked as if dirty hands had continually been wiped off on the belly portion of the shirt- which they most likely had- and had turned the brown a grody black. Tony's pants were no better off. All down the front, and occasionally on the back, the jeans displayed stains and tears like a worn out warrior. Steve made a mental note to throw the poor things away when Tony wasn't looking. On Tony's face, grease was smudged on his cheeks and nose, as if he had felt an itch and forgot his hands were dirty- and that was likely what had happened as well. Even in the man's dark hair, Steve could make out the slick locks that had had the misfortune to encounter the occasional moment when Tony grasped at his hair in frustration.

Before Steve could ponder why his beau had to be such a dirty man, Tony cleared his throat, breaking the soldier's line of thought. "Didn't you want to see your surprise? You don't have to; I can have Butterfingers play chess with you until I'm done if you want. The thing's downright dumb in the lab, but when it comes to chess it suddenly develops intelligence," he said with an amused smirk. Steve shook his head fervently, unsure if Tony was joking or not. It was hard to tell with the billionaire. Excitement shining in his eyes, Tony moved to remove the sheet, then looked at Steve. "Jarvis, drumroll please." The rapid pitter-patter of a snare filled the room, quickening to a dull roar that a real person could never achieve when playing. Just the sound was enough to infuse Steve with Tony's excitement, and with bated breath he watched the largish shape under the sheet. Then, with a flourish Tony whipped away the sheet to reveal- a small, pale little girl.

Steve blinked a few times, first in confusion, then to clear his eyes. Surely that wasn't what he was seeing. Tony wouldn't have stolen away a little girl for Steve, right? But when he opened his eyes again, she was still there, still lying on the steel table wearing what looked suspiciously like a hospital gown. She looked as if she had just been put under for surgery.

"Tony?" Steve asked, his mouth suddenly dry. Still excited, Tony looked expectantly at his boyfriend, not realizing he wasn't speechless from amazement. "Tony, where did this little girl come from?" The genius snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I bought her in Mexico, it's just taken months to train her just right," he said in a petulant tone. All the blood from Steve's face drained and his mouth dropped open, gaping like a fish out of water. A small sound of shock squeaked out of the usually collected captain as he took a step towards Tony.

"Tony, you're not serious are you?" Steve asked in a whisper more breathless then he intended. Tony stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Though she doesn't really look Hispanic does she… maybe the guy I got her from found her in some rich white family's house. Serves 'em right, the pompous bastards." He chuckled, looking at Steve and expecting him to do the same. Steve, however, was far too busy fighting to keep from hyperventilating.

"Tony, _please_ tell me you're joking," he said, growing fearful. Tony sighed, shaking his head. With a quick movement, he swiped his boyfriend's hands, using them to pull the taller man in for a tight embrace. The blond was in too much shock to resist, but it was easy to feel how tense he was. This really scared him.

"You must not have that much faith in me if you honestly think I'd buy a little girl," Tony murmured in his ear. Steve's sense of relief felt tangible as the tension in his body melted away. A he heaved a sigh, his arms responded to the hug he was in, wrapping around Tony and squeezing tight.

"You've done some crazy things, even in just the time I've known you." Steve nuzzled his beau's neck, beyond relieved that the little girl hadn't come from a human trafficking deal. Still, that didn't explain where she _had_ come from…. Pulling away, Steve brought that detail to attention and Tony smirked.

"Maybe I should make a riddle out of it for you to solve. Like, 'she sprung forth from the imagination of an extremely dashing billionaire, and from his efforts was forged in the place known to be most important to a genius' or something," he joked, chuckling. Steve huffed, narrowing his eyes.

"Tony, if you don't give me a straight answer in ten seconds I'm throwing you out the window." Tony pouted, taking a step back.

"That would kill me," he pointed out. Steve shrugged noncommittally.

"Wear your magic bracelets," he said with no sympathy. "Now tell me where this girl is from!" Tony groaned.

"You never have any fun, do you Cap?" he asked. After a particularly potent glare from said captain, he hurried to his explanation, saying, "I built her… for you and me to take care of." Again, Steve's jaw dropped. Tony seemed to ignore his reaction, picking up a needle like tool and hunching over the little girl.

He really was proud of her. She had his hair color, because dark hair is dominant of course, but it was cut to about shoulder length and had Steve's more subdued waviness. She also had Steve's full pink lips and the soldier's ears as well.

As for Tony's characteristics, anyone who saw her would clearly see the resemblance when she smirked, and his nose, though smaller to look more girlish, clearly sat in the middle of her round face. And even though he couldn't see them now, he knew that underneath her eyelids was the one irregularity the girl possessed- the only one physically visible at least. When he hadn't been able to choose between his own light brown and Steve's lively blue eye color, he decided he wouldn't choose, and used both. Emily, as he had decided to name her, had one blue eye, and one brown. Her eyebrows were thin, and arched delicately, giving her a more intelligent look than she would have had if Jarvis hadn't convinced him she didn't need Steve's brows.

Her body was deceivingly slim, and though she looked like any other little girl, she was really just as strong as Steve. She would also 'inherit' Tony's brilliance, though he hadn't started her off with all the knowledge he possessed. He wanted her to learn just like any child should be allowed to do. He had worked so hard to make her perfect, and as he worked in the small hole of her neck that revealed what could be called an 'on switch' for lack of better word, it was difficult to steady his hands when they shook from excitement. He huffed, wishing he hadn't made the process of getting her online so difficult. Beside him, Steve stood in awe.

This was what Tony had been working on for so long? A child- a little girl! For them to take care of…. Steve had to admit, he had been a little sad that being with Tony meant they couldn't have kids, but it was something he had come to accept. But this…. He almost laughed. He should have expected that Tony wouldn't take no for an answer, he never did.

"She's so pale," he murmured. Tony laughed, nodding.

"Don't worry. Once I get her going her inner parts will glow all nice and pretty and make her the right color," he said, biting his lip in concentration. With a smirk, he pulled back, gently closing up Emily's neck. "Wake up baby, time to meet your Papa," he said quietly. Immediately, the girl's body flushed with life, and she began to stir. When she opened her eyes, Steve let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. She sat up slowly, her face void of all expression. Then, she turned to look at both men, her lips pushed out in a pout.

"Daddy, I'm cold," she whined in a voice much too deep for a little girl. Steve almost jerked back at hearing Jarvis's voice emanate from such a small girl, his eyes widening in comic shock. Then he glared at Tony who shrugged.

"I haven't been able to bring in a child actor to do her voice yet," he said. "I'll do that as soon as possible." It was now that Jarvis chose to throw in his own opinion, making Emily look up in wonder at the bodiless voice.

"If you don't mind me saying sir, I believe her voice is just fine as it is. It makes her sound rather intelligent," the AI noted. Tony snorted, shaking his head.

"You _would_ think so, wouldn't you?" he muttered, smiling despite himself. Steve, however, now had eyes and ears only for the little girl on the table in front of him. She beamed at him, causing his heart to jerk. Eagerly the child jumped off the table and padded over to the super soldier, holding out her hands. Filled with emotion, he picked her up, hugging her close.

She squeezed him with surprise strength, nuzzling his neck with a quiet, "Papa." It still felt odd to hear a male voice from a small female, but Steve ignored it in favor of savoring the hug and all its new sensations. He had hugged lots of people in his time, but there was something truly enchanting about having such tiny arms wrapped around him. Her skin was soft and warm, and her hair felt surprisingly soft against his skin. He stroked the back of her head, squeezing her back. He stood like that for a long moment, until Tony cleared his throat.

"Don't I get love too?" he asked with mock-hurt. Emily giggled, and opened one of her arms for Tony to join the hug. As they stood there, a thought entered Steve's head.

"Tony, how is it that you managed to completely blacken yourself, while, while," his face scrunched up in an expression of confusion, not knowing the girl's name.

"Emily," Tony said helpfully, smirking.

"Yes, Emily. How is it that you look like you were birthed by a car and she's completely clean with not a speck of grease on her?" Steve continued. Tony shrugged.

"Does it really matter?" he asked. Steve didn't answer, but Tony took that as a no. They stood like that for a few minutes, happily holding their child. Then Emily shivered.

"Daddy, I'm still cold," she complained, wiggling in discomfort. Steve chuckled, pulling away with Emily.

Walking to leave the lab, he said, "Come on sweetheart; let's find you some proper clothes." Tony watched them disappear behind the holograms with a smile until he heard Steve say, "Grab that box, sweetie, the food's cold by now and we need to throw it away."

Tony ran after them, shouting, "I can warm it up! Haven't you ever heard of a microwave, Capsicle?!"


End file.
